Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the United States

Introduction | A-1

I. Historical Perspective and

Current Situation

International pastoral ministers have always been

a part of the fabric of the Catholic Church in the

United States. They were instrumental in bringing

the faith to our shores, they helped nourish that faith,

and they continue to serve generously among us to

this day. Many of our American saints were inter-

national pastoral ministers, from St. Frances Xavier

Cabrini to St. Mother Theodore Guerin, from St.

Isaac Jogues to St. John Neumann and St. Damien

de Veuster. We must acknowledge that, from the

time of the earliest missionaries to our land until the

present day, we have benefited from the ministry of

so many from other lands and cultures. The richness

of their diversity has helped us to appreciate and

more fully embrace our catholicity.

The presence of international pastoral ministers

continues to be a gift to the Catholic Church in our

country. They serve in a myriad of ways and are a vital

part of the New Evangelization. Demographically,

they have a growing presence among us:

• International Priests. In 2012, almost 6,000

international priests from 124 countries served

in the United States. These priests worked in

188 dioceses/eparchies.

They tend to be younger

on average than US-born priests, and 98 percent

of them are engaged in active ministry.

• International Seminarians. In 2013, 879 interna-

tional seminarians from 81 countries were study-

ing in American theologates. This represents 26

percent of the total number of seminarians in

theologates. Fifty-nine percent of international

seminarians were studying for a US diocese; 10

percent for a diocese outside the United States;

and 30 percent for a religious order.

1 2012 Annual Report on the Implementation of the

Charter for the

Protection of Children and Young People.

2 M. L. Gautier, P. M. Perl, S. J. Fichter,

Same Call, Different Men: The

Evolution of the Priesthood since Vatican II

(Collegeville, MN: The

Liturgical Press, 2012), 101.

3 M. Gautier,

Catholic Ministry Formation Enrollment: Statistical

Overview for 2012-2013

(Washington, DC: Center for Applied

Research in the Apostolate [CARA], 2013).

• International Religious Brothers and Sisters.

Unfortunately, there is very little data on inter-

national religious brothers and sisters, but they

are very active in ministry within the United

States. Similarly, there is little data for interna-

tional deacons and international ministers serv-

ing within the Eastern Catholic Churches

sui

iuris

in the United States, although these groups

are active and have rendered valuable service.

The large number of international pastoral min-

isters and their importance for the life of particular

Churches in the United States challenge us to pre-

pare them well for their service and to prepare the

communities that receive them. There are, however,

some overarching hopes for international pasto-

ral ministers that we all share. We hope to

receive

them well, to

integrate

them into the life of the local

Church and US culture, and to

support

them person-

ally and ecclesially. We also want to enable those on

temporary assignment to be prepared for return to

their home countries, enriched by their experience

in the United States. These

Guidelines

provide gen-

eral directions for dioceses, eparchies, seminaries,

and those in institutes of consecrated life and societ-

ies of apostolic life to help realize these hopes.

II. Theological Framework

Understanding the Exchange of

International Pastoral Ministers:

The Context of Faith

For some observers, the recent arrival of interna-

tional pastoral ministers in the United States seems

to be a historical novelty and a purely practical solu-

tion to the diminished number of US-born clergy

and religious. In fact, from a historical and faith per-

spective, the reality is far more complex and richer

than we might first imagine.

The previous section indicated the historical

antecedents of international clergy and religious

coming to serve the Catholic Church in the United

States. An even earlier pattern, at the beginning of

the Church in apostolic times, speaks to our situation

today. Furthermore, pragmatic reasons for assisting

international pastoral ministers assume a secondary

Introduction